


Getting Lost With You

by CrazyLabRat



Category: Naruto
Genre: Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Light Angst, Love, M/M, Oaths & Vows, Pining, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:19:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24410449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrazyLabRat/pseuds/CrazyLabRat
Summary: "That's not everything, not quite. What I vowed was this... I'll be the shadow at your heels, always. As near as you'll allow. Yours until there is no heartbeat in my chest, nor air in my lungs. But even then... it'll still be true. I simply won't be here to prove it to you."I furrowed my brows, confusion flitting through my mind as well as my features.Isn't that what I'd said?A small chuckle graced his throat and slipped out into the air as his fingers left my chin to trail down my cheekbone."As near as you'll allow."Oh... but..."But you... you don't mind?"~Or: The one where Kakashi can't, and won't, leave Iruka alone. So he vows to stay. Iruka just can't seem to figure out what that actually means.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Comments: 39
Kudos: 164
Collections: Quarantine Creations 2020 Event





	Getting Lost With You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AlexiaKnight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexiaKnight/gifts), [LeoOtherLands](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeoOtherLands/gifts), [EternalSurvivor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternalSurvivor/gifts), [Danagirl623](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Danagirl623/gifts), [Figgyfan14](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Figgyfan14/gifts), [NathTE](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NathTE/gifts), [MagnusTesla](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagnusTesla/gifts).



> Hello my duckies!
> 
> I know quarantine is hell on everyone, and so I thought I'd try to get this out as quickly as possible. 
> 
> As such, I'll be editing it thoroughly over the next few days. So if you come back and it's not quite how you remembered it from the first read through, that's why. 
> 
> Rated M because there are mature situations involved *winks*
> 
> Any and all errors will be fixed soon. 
> 
> I know everyone is feeling isolated and a little lonely... I hope, to some small extent, that this helps. 
> 
> Now then, enough of my silly chatter. 
> 
> On with the fic!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"If I am going to get lost on the road of life anyway... I'd much prefer it if I'm getting lost with you."

The comment made little sense to me... We're hardly getting lost. Hell, we're not even moving!

Granted I was slightly drunk already, and so I wasn't at my best, but that isn't the reason anyway. 

Kakashi always had a way of talking in circles and riddles, in general. 

Lately though, he's been doing it far too often with me, for my tastes. 

I usually let it go... because asking might mean more riddles that were too ridiculous to even attempt to decipher... but I was feeling a little frisky tonight. 

And if nothing else, it'd probably be good for a laugh... heavens knew I could certainly use one. 

"What does that even mean? Honestly... it's just us here. You don't have to wear that ' _man of mystery_ ' facade. No one's around to swoon."

I sat back against the boulder behind us, looking out over the village mournfully, before taking another swig from my bottle. 

I thought back to the first time we'd spent this anniversary together. 

I'd been a complete wreck. 

Trying so badly to hold it together all day, while treating Naruto to as much ramen as he'd liked for his birthday. 

I loved him dearly. 

Enough to hide this pain from him. 

I still do, and that will never be untrue. 

But that love? It didn't, and doesn't, change how badly this day hurts. 

Remembering them, and missing them, always opened up a hole in my heart. 

I'd come here that night, to this very spot, and gotten well and truly drunk. 

And Hatake had appeared suddenly. Or at least, it'd seemed sudden to me. But he could've been there for an hour or two before I'd noticed, bleary eyed as I'd been. 

He said nothing that first time. 

Not a single word. 

He just sat quietly by my side while I cursed the world that would take away both parents from children so young. 

Naruto's and mine, alike. 

I'd cried and drank until the pain stopped.

I'd told him everything too. 

Rambled on about how I couldn't remember the way my mother smelled anymore... or exactly what color my father's eyes were. 

That with every passing year I lost more and more of them and their memory...

That it was like they were dying all over again. 

And how badly it hurt to go through it all a second time. 

How it was cruel. 

I don't know why he'd bothered to sit in the first place, or why he'd stayed. 

I don't remember getting home that night.

But I do know that it was the first time that this anniversary had come, that I hadn't felt so utterly cold and alone. 

"There's at least one person who could..." 

His words and fingertips, both, startled me out of my small reverie, as he gently pried the bottle from my grasp to take his own swig. 

I didn't try to look. 

I knew I'd never catch his mask down anyway, and even if I did... I respected him too much to hurt him, or to damage his trust in me like that. 

Instead, I chuckled and shook my head, coming back fully into the conversation. 

"Me? Can you really imagine me swooning? Haha! What a ridiculous sight that would make."

The bottle reappeared in front of my eyes, held aloft by a pale gloved hand. 

"You and I have very different definitions of what qualifies as ridiculous, sensei."

I laughed so hard at that, I almost fell sideways.

Because he wasn't wrong. 

He didn't think it was at all ridiculous to turn in mission reports caked in mud and paw prints... Or written so sloppily that the only explanation was that he'd filled it out while running. 

"Beautiful." 

I looked out over the village again, breathless at all of the lights shining in the darkness like twinkling stars here on earth, and nodded. 

"Yeah... It really is beautiful, looking from up here."

Finally reaching for the proffered bottle, I took a long draught. 

"From any angle I've ever seen." I turned to smile at him and nod, expecting his focus to be out over Konoha, as mine had just been...

But his gaze was solidly locked upon me instead. 

It made me uncomfortable for some reason. 

Another pull from the bottle helped me to let the feeling fade though. It was probably just my own maudlin mood coloring everything again. 

"You never answer my questions, you know? Not really. Why do we do this every year? Why do you want to waste your time listening to my drunken, foolish, sadness and stupidity? Surely you have better things to do?"

His eye closed and curled up, as if he were smiling. 

"But I _have_ answered you."

And that reply only made me pout. 

"If that's true, then the answers were given when I was blind drunk. Which really isn't very fair... Because I have no memory of it."

You'd think I'd be used to this by now. 

It's been four years since this tradition started... but our time together hasn't been limited to only on this night, not since somewhere around the last two. 

He'd started appearing in random places, like on my way to the academy, or from the mission room... stopping me to ask how my day was, or if I'd heard what our shared pupil had done now. Dropping by my house to ask me to ramen every now and then. 

It'd been slow. 

So slow that I hadn't realized exactly how much time we'd begun spending together... how much we've _been_ spending together, until this very moment. 

But it was here now, and it was stunning. 

The realization, I mean. 

I haven't been truly alone in a long time. 

Not with Naruto in my heart, and Kakashi filling my days while the boy was away. 

That being said, it's been long enough that I really should know better than to get a straight answer from him, about anything. 

But, like a fool, I keep trying. 

"You can't possibly want to spend this day with someone like me? Someone who screams in anger, cries in frustration, and openly sobs every single year. I bet it'd be much nicer to find someone to laugh with..."

A warm palm covered mine, lifting the bottle slightly. But he didn't move to take it from me, so I looked back into his eye... or the general area I knew it to be in. 

It could've been the darkness alone that obscured it, but the alcohol definitely contributed.

"I don't want to waste my time with disingenuous emotion. Everyone else _pretends_ on this day. The only bit of happiness I actually find in it, is Naruto's birthday... but beyond that, they all pretend not to know. Not to feel. And that, that's something that I can't stand."

I was nearly choked with emotion as he finally pulled the liquor from my hand, his words resonating in me deeply. And there was vehement agreement singing in my blood. I couldn't abide it either. 

A smile formed on my lips despite it all... A straight answer from Hatake Kakashi. Would wonders never cease?

Humming once, I let my eyes sweep out over the forest beyond Konoha, and into the darkness behind it. 

"I can't either... it's wrong. And it hurts."

A small movement from my peripheral told me he'd either nodded or moved his mask to drink. 

My eyes stayed averted either way. 

"I don't show everyone what I truly feel... but, not because I intend to lie. It is because I am _Kakashi no Sharingan_. I am little more than a tool. A weapon." 

He paused and I heard the bottle slosh around a bit, before his voice filled the air once more. 

"But... that doesn't mean I want to suffer that fake ignorance, either. I am of the same mind when it comes to everything else, even love. I don't want only the good. I don't want only the happy glittering parts. I want the truth. All of it. The anger, the tears, and the pain, too. If only to make those few truly happy moments and memories shine even brighter. Don't you agree?"

And okay, so I am probably a little too drunk for this conversation. But I'd started it, and pressed for answers. 

Answers I'd been waiting years to hear. 

And he's giving them. 

Now might be the only chance I ever get. 

"Love? Are you in love, then?" 

He made no move to dignify that with a response, so I shrugged and stole the bottle back. 

"You're a person. An _infuriating_ , _insufferable..._ but kind, insightful, and caring _person_. You're not a-, a fucking kunai. You're allowed to have feelings. Ninja or not." 

I took a shallow breath, if only to gather my thoughts and emotions properly before speaking again. 

"And _yes_ , I agree. Things like love... they're not easy. They're not meant to be either. Because the things in life that really matter, rarely are."

A small bemused chuckle startled me a little. 

It was soft and warm. 

And not at all fake. 

I'm not sure how such a small sound could warm my bones so much better than the booze in my belly, but it did. 

"Such a way with words, you have. You're clever, even now. I like that, too."

He said it like he was continuing a list of things he'd already said he liked about me... but that, like most everything else he says, didn't make any sense. 

"I don't know about that... I'm certainly not up for any verbal sparring matches tonight. You'll win, hands down."

He shrugged a single shoulder, and I realized I felt it more than I saw it. My whole left side was pleasantly toasty, and somehow pressed against him now. 

When had that happened?

"You say that like you're not already winning, Iruka."

And _that_ certainly gave me pause. 

But when I looked to his eye to gauge his level of sincerity... he only appeared to be smiling at me. 

Though, not in a haughty way. 

Perhaps he wasn't making fun of me, after all. 

"Am I? Really? Wait, what's my prize then?"

His hand lifted, moved closer, like he might touch me... but then his fingers unfurled, showing me an open palm instead. 

"Anything you like. Anything at all." 

I was giggling at him, but I couldn't help it. Such silly things, he said. 

The bottle slipped from my grasp but he caught it, and gently set it aside. 

Beyond that, his gaze on me didn't waver, and I got the feeling that he seemed to be waiting for something...

_Oh_!

Right...

"I don't know... I'd have no idea what to ask you for. I don't really need anything... I've never needed much in general, anyway." 

His expression, though ever mostly obscured, seemed... gentle? 

Sort of soft, somehow?

I couldn't place it, but it stuttered my breath all the same. 

"I didn't offer anything you _needed_ , sensei. I offered anything you'd _like_. That doesn't strictly mean objects. It could be something immaterial. And even if it was something like a physical gift, it doesn't need to be vital to you. Just something you want. Nothing more."

My brow furrowed in thought, and my nose likely scrunched up as well, but I couldn't feel that. One of the random ways I use to gauge my level of intake when I imbibe. 

It was probably for the best that he'd taken the bottle from me already.

What do I want, I wonder?

Well...

I want Naruto to be happy. 

I want the village to always stay quiet and beautiful and peaceful... just like this.

I want to wake up tomorrow and have the hole in my chest hurt a little less. 

I want to repay the kindness I'm being shown...

Because he really is so very different than I'd imagined him to be. 

I want to spend more time with this confusing, and charming jerk...

Because he's not being a jerk now. 

And really, he's too hard on himself more often than not. 

He uses self deprecating words far too often, and his strange humor is probably more of a distraction tactic than anything else. 

But it wasn't just those things. 

He could've left me alone four years ago. 

He could've pretended not to notice, and walked away... I'd have never known. 

Yet here he is again, and he hasn't let me spend this night alone since that first time. 

If I want anything really...

"I want you to stay."

I knew it didn't make sense without clarification, but anything I'd say to elaborate would probably sound weird. And I didn't know how to really explain what it is that I mean anyway. 

That didn't seem to bother him though. He just nodded once, his demeanor terribly serious, as if the Hokage herself had given him an order. 

"As you wish."

The words though... those three words of his were full of _something_. 

Something important. But I couldn't tell what. Some heavy emotion? 

Something unnamed, and it pulled at me. 

Tugged, and prodded, and called for my attention... I was sure it was something I should already know somehow. 

It troubled me deeply. 

Made me want to hear whatever it was that was hidden within those words again. 

So much so, that my lips parted again, without my permission. 

"I know you're always in danger... and there may come a point where you just can't, when you won't be able to- to... well... but until then... I want you to _stay_. Can I-, can I keep you?"

My last sentence ended lamely, as it was stilted, and unsure. 

Sighing heavily, I found myself thinking back to the days of my awkward youth, and I ducked my head while scratching nervously at my old scar. 

Such childish things to be spouting... Gods above, but what must he think of me? 

I really should learn to control my mouth. 

It seemed inevitable to me that an awkward silence would settle between us, but he wouldn't allow it. 

"I don't understand why you're so hesitant to voice such a simple request? I'm all too happy to stay, for however long you'll allow. There's no need to hide from me, or to try and justify yourself. I've already agreed."

I looked up again, and found his face to be much closer than anticipated, and my pulse kicked up. 

His voice. It almost sounded like before... it was kind of, building up? 

There was that _something_ peaking out again, barely stirring beneath his words. 

Just a little more and...

"You can keep me for as long as you like."

And there it was. I could finally tell what part of that _something_ was. 

How could I not, with how heavily those words were soaked in it?

It was an answering call... his desolation calling back to mine. 

Here he was, wearing it openly now. 

I'd have had to be blind, deaf, and dumb to miss it. 

Such a vulnerable display made me take pause, and really look at him. 

A small breeze gently tousled his hair, and he was close enough that I could feel it against my lips whenever he exhaled.

The parts of him that I could see seemed to glow against the shadows around us.

And I realized how pretty he must be, under all that cloth. 

A tension bubbled into the air. 

_Thick_ , and _heavy_ , and _pulsing_. 

Charged, to the point that I had to clench my fists to maintain my composure. 

"And if I _never_ want you to go?"

Was that my voice?

It sounded so... desperate? Raw? 

My nerves were frayed, in that single heartbeat of silence. 

But he just seemed to sigh in a relieved sort of way, and lifted a hand to gently drag two knuckles across my cheek. 

The tiny gesture so filled with that _something_ that it almost hurt me too. 

"Then I'll be the shadow at your heels, always. As near as you'll allow. I'll be yours until there is no heartbeat in my chest, or air in my lungs. But even then... it'll still be true. The only difference being that I won't be here to prove it to you."

I have no idea what expression my face melted into... but I ducked to hide it anyway, and dropped my forehead to his shoulder. 

That was... my _heart_...

I couldn't...

My brain and my emotions were all over the place. 

I couldn't pick out any single thought or feeling to focus on and it was getting hard to breathe. 

Hot tears threatened to spill, but I clenched my eyes, and refused to allow it. 

Instead, I reached out... my palm searching for the spot below his collar bone... for the source of his lifeblood. 

I couldn't calm down again until I focused on its rhythmic beat. 

Until I was sure that he was here, and real. 

That he was alive. 

" _Stay_."

A warm gloved palm covered mine. 

" _Always_."

My shoulders sagged with enormous relief. 

Relief of all the pain and grief and loneliness that I'd been hiding all day. 

It was suddenly so warm now... 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I awoke to what felt like a hundred senbon piercing my skull, simultaneously. 

My throat was dry and I couldn't open my eyes, for fear of a new wave of pain. 

I groaned and immediately regretted it, as even my own noises sliced through my brain. 

Something cool and damp was set onto my forehead, and then a burst of Chakra disturbed the air around me, but I couldn't risk opening my eyes. 

"The headache will ease in a moment... just let me help."

And he did. 

The pain seemed to fade into the background as his Chakra wove into mine at both of my temples. 

The feel of his energy, strong and foreign, yet _not_... it sent shivers down my spine. 

I blinked carefully up at him a moment later, and sighed out a small 'thank you.' 

I'd have to have him teach me that trick... No wonder he's never seemed hungover. 

"How much of last night do you remember?"

His words were measured, careful. 

Guarded. 

And I hated that. 

He'd been so open only hours ago. 

And I wanted nothing more than to have that version of him back. 

I need the real Kakashi. 

This facade within a facade would no longer suffice. 

So I reached out to where he sat crouched by my bedside, and pressed my palm to where I knew his heart to be. 

"You gave your word already. Don't you dare think about backing out now."

I said it firmly. 

Without doubt, or fear, or hesitation. 

His shoulders sagged in what looked to be relief. A naked pale palm gently encircling my wrist, keeping me in place. 

"Never."

And I got the feeling that, if he could help it, he'd never let me go again. 

I found that I didn't much mind. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Six weeks, and aside from a couple of short missions here and there, he'd been true to his word. 

To the very letter. 

Anytime he was within the village walls, he was never very far from me. 

If I was teaching, he was in one of the trees outside my classroom window. 

If I was working the mission desk, he was slouching against the nearest wall to my seat, usually accompanied by Gai or Asuma, but there all the same. 

If I was stuck grading quizzes or homework or papers at my chabudai, he'd sit quietly behind me on the couch and read. For however many hours the work took. 

It was strange, having been used to such a solitary life for so long, adjusting to having someone around all the time... and so close. 

That didn't mean that I didn't love it though. 

My steps were lighter. 

The air seemed more crisp. Fresh. 

I felt like I was finally able to breathe for the first time in, well, forever. 

But it was when I was truly free to relax, without any task to complete or errands to run, that I enjoyed his presence the most.

He was witty and eloquent. 

Astute, but not boastful. Never that. 

Considerate, but ever so playful. 

And I watched as a new light seemed to grow in his gaze, the longer it met mine. 

He seemed to be changing too. 

I got to hear him laugh now. 

Really laugh. 

And it was a wonderful sound. 

Whether it was the one that started out as a low rumble and echoed deeply but was somehow still soft... like thunder rolling in from ten kilometers away...

Or if it was the hitched breath, surprised and ringing kind. 

Sometimes, if I said or did the right thing, it would bounce and echo off of my walls... and for a whimsical moment, I could imagine holding onto it, like it was a tangible thing in my hands. 

He just... seemed happy.

Truly happy. 

And that was the best part of it all. 

Those moments. 

Those precious, beautiful, utterly mundane moments... they brought me to life, too. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

He'd started sleeping on my couch last week. 

The first time was an accident.

I'd stayed bent over my grading until nearly dawn, because I was actually handling the work for another sensei for a few days, and I'd failed to take into account just how much grading there needed to be done. 

When I'd finished, bleary eyed and with a crick in my neck, I'd found him fast asleep behind me. 

It shames me a little to admit that I watched him for far longer than was appropriate. 

But I couldn't help it.

High ranking shinobi did not simply fall asleep in another person's home. 

They were cautious and suspicious through necessity, and their warranted paranoia wouldn't allow for that sort of carelessness. 

So it spoke an entire library, that he'd fallen asleep here. In my tiny and cluttered home. It said that he felt secure. 

He was fully relaxed. 

He felt safe in these walls. 

The knowledge had wound through me, settled into my chest, and pulled gently at my heartstrings.

Warming me to my fingertips. 

My hand reached for him, but I pulled back the second it registered. 

Because it hadn't been to wake him. I didn't dare disturb any peace he might find, because he allowed himself so little as it was. 

I'd just wanted to... touch him. 

To gently brush my knuckles down the line of his cheekbone, like he'd taken to doing to me at the most random times. 

I hadn't ever done it back though. 

Never knew that I even wanted to, until right that very moment. 

His lashes fluttered minutely, drawing my attention... An indication of R.E.M. sleep. And I remember thinking that he was dreaming.

And I'd hoped to all of the gods above and below us that it was a happy one. 

They certainly knew he deserved that much. 

It was another long few minutes before I stood as quietly as possible, and wandered my way into bed. 

And the following morning, he'd made me eggs and toast. 

The delightful aroma wafting into my room was not something I had been privy to since I was a child. It felt so surreal. 

And natural. 

It sort of just continued on like that, afterwards. 

When the work was done, or I was tired, I'd simply get up and go to bed. Bidding him goodnight along the way. 

A pillow and blanket took up residence on the far corner of the couch. 

They'd been neatly folded there every morning for the past five days. I hadn't provided them, so they must've been his. But I'm not even sure when he found the time to procure them. 

He'd always been with me. 

Perhaps he'd sent a clone?

But it didn't really matter, because I didn't mind it at all. 

Just like I didn't mind it when his cactus appeared on my windowsill above the kitchen sink this morning. 

Or that his standard issue clothing was mixed in with mine in the hamper. 

Or that his toothbrush found its way next to mine in the bathroom, but I couldn't remember when. 

All of that felt good. 

It felt right. 

It felt _too_ right. 

And the lines were starting to blur. 

After that first time he fell asleep on my couch, I had started reciprocating small touches. 

Not anything major. And it wasn't even a conscious decision at first. 

Just a hand on his back when I moved behind him in the kitchen to grab some coffee. 

Or swatting him on the shoulder for reading his Icha books in public when we went to the market. 

Ruffling his hair when he'd somehow managed to get himself covered in flour and looked just so absolutely ridiculous. 

He never said anything about my newfound inclination. 

But he looked me in the eye every time my hands found purchase on him. It was enough of a reaction to let me know he'd noticed. 

So he didn't have to voice it. 

He never pulled away, nor shunned my touch... and his own particular way of trailing his knuckles over my cheek didn't cease either. 

If anything the length of time he spent doing it increased. Instead of it happening over the course of a heartbeat, it'd last for two or three. 

It made things... blurry. 

It made my breath quicken and my tongue go dry. 

It made my fingertips itch to touch him even more in return. 

And it was scary as fuck. 

Why?

Because this was starting to feel more like something else entirely. 

Something like love. 

And I didn't know what to do with that. 

I also didn't want my foolish and misguided heart to make me do something stupid. 

Because losing this, losing _him_ , was simply not an option. 

It would break me. 

I sighed and shivered as I moved to step out of bed. 

It was late, and it was positively _freezing_. 

I'd gone to bed an hour ago, but the house was too cold now. 

A glance out my window proved that snow had fallen without my notice, sometime since we'd come back home. 

A chill crawled heavily down my spine as I headed for the thermostat. 

But something was clearly wrong with it. 

The temperature read 22°C yet there was no way that could be true. 

I tried turning on a light, but nothing happened, and a heavy sigh left me. The fucking power was out, and my heat was electric. 

I don't have a fireplace. 

With a start of realization, I padded out the door and into my livingroom... Kakashi was on his side, and shivering lightly underneath his thin blanket. 

He was awake. 

I could tell because his eye, easily visible in the moonlight streaming in, met mine. 

"The power is out..."

He didn't move or immediately reply, so I sighed in aggravation at my landlord and continued. 

"My heat is electric."

Another shiver and a small 'Ah' of understanding was his response. 

We had two choices as far as I could see. 

"I'd understand if you'd like to go back to your apartment... it's likely warmer there."

Here he merely shook his head once in gentle refusal. But said nothing. 

I sighed again, but fondly this time. 

"Then come."

He didn't move at first, so I spoke again. 

"I am cold, and I have an actual comforter. You don't. I'm not letting you freeze to death on my couch."

My voice was light, and filled with amusement. But the idea of him dying made me even colder. For different reasons. 

It was another long moment before I got any sort of response... and when it came, it was in the form of him silently standing.

I turned and quietly made my way back to my room, and my bed. 

Settled in again in mere moments, my gaze sought for him in the darkness. He was at the edge of the bed. His own blanket still wrapped around him. 

I couldn't see his eye, so I didn't have any indication of why he was hesitating... but perhaps he'd needed more of a direct invitation? 

Did he think I meant for him to sleep on the floor?

I laughed and lifted the goose down comforter over the other side of the bed. 

"I only have the one... We'll have to share. Unless you'd rather go home, of course."

His head moved, but I couldn't properly see what the actual movement was. 

It didn't much matter though, as I finally felt the mattress dip a moment later. 

"You're sure?"

It was a surprisingly timid question. Soft and trembling. But I knew that last part was due to the cold. 

I decided to lighten the mood. 

"Very few have ever had the privilege of sharing my bed, Hatake. I don't offer if I'm not sure."

A small shivering chuckle was the only answer that came. I snickered into the darkness and pulled the sheets and comforter up to my chin. 

It was only a few minutes before our shared warmth lulled me into a comfortable slumber. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was warm when I awoke. 

Perfectly, wonderfully, satisfyingly warm. 

And I was ever so comfortable. 

I had no reason to rise just yet, so instead of opening my eyes, I snuggled deeper into the blankets, and hummed lightly. Utterly content. 

An answering murmur roused me slightly, which was curious, but I didn't want to move. So I ignored it. 

And then my pillow shifted, something pulled at me gently, and my eyes blinked open on their own. 

Pale skin, a rosy cheek, a perfectly sculpted nose, and silver eyelashes met my gaze. 

So close I could probably count them if I tried. 

My heartbeat kicked up and I twitched heavily in surprise. 

The movement caused another murmur from my guest, and those lashes to flutter open.

I did the only thing I could think to do, and ducked my head down under the blankets.

Not only to hide my embarrassment and shame, but to give him time to cover his face as well. 

"I- I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to see, I swear!"

Something on my hip flexed, clutching the sensitive flesh there, which startled me again, just as raucous laughter filled the air. 

Still I kept my face hidden, my cheeks ever so hot. It was a long minute before the laughter died, and I only grew more mortified with each passing moment. 

"You wake up, with my arms around you, snuggling into me, and the first thing you do is apologize for opening your eyes?"

I'd thought my face couldn't get any hotter.

Apparently I'd been so very wrong. 

Blindly, I tried to roll away from him, but his hand on my hip wouldn't allow it. 

And then something was steadily tugging the blankets from my grasp. 

"Is my face really so bad, Iruka?"

My brows furrowed in confusion as my hiding place was gently pried aside. 

He's close, his face maybe a scant fifteen centimeters from mine, and I couldn't help it... my eyes drank him in. 

There was an eyepatch over his left eye, partially obscured by the pillow beneath his head, and his right eye seemed to be smiling at me. 

As were his lips. His pink, slightly plump, soft looking lips...

There was a mole hiding just under the left corner of his mouth. His nose was not too long, nor did it protrude too far. The whole of his face was thin, but not overly so, and his chin was sharp. 

Something soft pressed against my knuckles just as something obscured the cheekbone under his open eye, and it took me longer than it should have to realize what I'd done. 

My own face was now so hot I thought I could probably boil ramen with it. 

I don't know what my features showed him... but his smile turned achingly sweet. 

"Bad? N-no... Definitely not."

His light hum filled the air between us, and I swallowed thickly. Frozen. With no idea what to say or do in such an outlandish situation. 

I felt a familiar touch to my own cheek, and watched his mouth form words. 

"What would you like for breakfast?"

I frowned, as he'd never actually asked me before. He usually just made whatever he felt like making. But before I could ask, he spoke again. 

"I should thank my savior properly, after all."

Nerves and surprise had me laughing before I could think to do anything else. But he didn't seem to mind.

He just stayed like that, his head and mine sharing a pillow, his arm under my side, with his hand wrapped around my hip. 

When I finally collected myself, I tried again to move away, but his hold on me tightened for a moment. 

It took me a heartbeat to gather that he was still waiting for an answer, but I could feel myself flushing again... so when I tried, my words stuttered once more. 

"A-an omelette?"

That warm palm squeezed my hip gently, once, as he smiled again. 

"As you wish."

And then he finally let me go. Stretching while he stood, and headed out to my kitchen. 

I couldn't actually breathe again until he was out of sight. 

My heart wouldn't stop pounding and my hip and cheeks were positively scalding. 

Thoughts wouldn't form properly and I couldn't seem to gather myself for a long while. I was still completely shell shocked when an inviting aroma and a warm voice called me out of my reverie. 

I don't remember consciously deciding to get out of bed.

I don't remember walking out, through the livingroom, to the threshold of the kitchen. 

But I'll never forget the sight of him setting down my plate at the dinette set nestled in the corner. Nor the way he looked up at me, and smiled with his whole face. 

His sleepwear rumpled. 

His hair sticking up in all sorts of ridiculous places. 

My throat went dry, and I lost my breath all over again. 

Yeah... I have a problem. 

I'm totally fucked. 

I, Umino Iruka, am hopelessly in love with Hatake Kakashi. 

Gods above, please _help_ me. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The afternoon shift at the mission desk hasn't done anything to clear my mind of this newfound revelation. 

Perhaps that was because the man at the center of it was literally never out of my sight. 

Not once, through the entire thing. 

And it was impossible to look anywhere else when there wasn't anyone to tend to. 

I'd tried and failed at least a hundred times. 

I simply couldn't stop. 

My only consolation was that he hadn't seemed to notice at all. Which was all well and good... But if I kept it up, he'd catch on eventually. 

And that only put me even more on edge. 

If this were any other person... if this were any other kind of attraction, it'd be so much easier to navigate. So much easier to decide how to proceed. To even proceed at all, in general. But I can't see any way to do that here. 

Not with him. 

I've never been particularly timid, or docile. I know that sounds like I'm complimenting myself, but really it's been more a weakness than anything else. 

I don't just take kindness from others. I don't take help. 

I _provide_ it. 

But here I am, taking his presence, his kindness, his sincerity... and letting my heart get far too involved in it all. 

Kakashi has always been a puzzle, to everyone. 

I suspect he prides himself on that fact, too. 

But those layers he's using to hide himself, to hide his vulnerability, his real thoughts and feelings... they're falling at the wayside when we're alone. 

As were the actual physical barriers. 

His mask. 

The biggest visible barrier of them all... and he'd stripped it away, himself. 

Like it was nothing. 

Unexpectedly, he's been very attentive, and very obliging. 

So sincere in his care of the smallest details, when it came to me. 

It was far too easy to think if it all as real affection for me, the kind that came from a place of growing love... not just mere friendship or compassion. 

And I don't like that I'm confusing the two.

My thoughts spiraled and came back around again and again. Spinning me in dizzying and distracting circles. 

It was actually an almost palpable solace when Izumo finally showed up to relieve me. Right up until Kakashi put his book away and made to catch my stride. 

Though, conversely, it made my chest warm and a smile fill my lips all the same. 

When he spoke, his words were soft, intimate... meant only for my ears. 

"You've worked hard today." Being at the center of his focus was... unsettling. I blushed lightly, a denial ready on my tongue, but before I'd had the chance, he leaned a bit closer. "Dinner?"

His voice had dropped into a fond lilt with just that one word... And I was helpless to resist. 

All I could offer him was a nod of acquiescence. 

He'd chosen the place... Somewhere rundown looking on the outside, but rather comfortable once you stepped through the doors. 

The decor wasn't fancy, and there was only an older, battleworn looking fellow as far as staffing. 

But he'd greeted us warmly. 

I'd ordered ramen, as I'd had the craving since mid day. It wasn't nearly as good as Teuchi-san's, but it was still delicious. And when we'd finished, Kakashi had taken it upon himself to order a bottle of warm sake. 

Which was entirely welcomed. 

Since I was still more than a little frazzled, I hoped the alcohol would calm my nerves, at least a little bit. 

And it was working. The sake warmed my belly as his voice floated to my ears steadily. 

It was nice to drink and banter happily with him, for once. He'd refilled our cups at regular intervals...Though he didn't pull down his mask once, as far as I could tell. 

And he regaled me with many a hilarious tale... Some of Naruto's misadventures, which I'd expected.

But most curiously, he shared many of his own as well. 

My laughter continuously rang out, stronger with each one, and I began to grow self conscious. But every time I'd catch my breath, he'd begin again. 

A new story. 

A new piece of his history. 

I rather preferred this to every other time we'd ever shared alcohol. 

Three full bottles were emptied before he declared that we should be on our way... And though I couldn't feel my nose when my skin touched the night air again, I couldn't confidently say it was entirely because of the drink. 

There was still white down everywhere as far as the eye could see, and with the sun long fallen over the horizon, there was an extra bit of a chill to the air. 

My breath fogged up in puffs in front of my face, and I delighted at the way it seemed to glitter under the streetlights. 

"Pretty!"

He chuckled and nodded. 

"Very."

But he didn't seem to be paying any mind to it. 

And his tone didn't fit either. 

Was he not even paying attention?

I narrowed my gaze at him for a moment before smirking. 

It only took a second to swoop down and scoop up some of the fluffy white snow, and it took even less to hurl it at his chest. 

His blink of surprise was totally worth it though. 

But then his own eye narrowed, and I knew... I just _knew_ what he'd do next. 

So I bolted. 

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, in the general direction of my house... but took a bee line through the woods on my left. 

A snowball sailed past my right shoulder, and I ran harder, jumping up into the branches above me. 

I swept up more ammo as I went. Tossing one makeshift snowball after another blindly over my shoulder, and laughing maniacally all the way. 

I knew he'd catch me, and soon... but it still served him right. 

And just as I'd thought that, the bough I'd landed on gave way with a startling _crack_. 

I didn't have the time, or the sober reflexes to stop my descent, and so I closed my eyes and sent out a quick prayer to the gods that I didn't break something. 

My stomach, which had dropped only a moment prior, suddenly lurched upwards, making me feel slightly sick. 

And then there was spinning and tumbling before I landed hard on something softer than the ground. 

"Oof!"

I pressed my palms into the snow, levering myself up to blink down at his masked face in wonder. 

He'd had just as many drinks, was likely as drunk as I was, but he'd still managed to catch me...

" _Amazing!_ "

He only let his head fall back into the snow and laughed at my awe. 

I didn't like the way he was laughing, though... So I shoved a bit of snow up under his vest and shirt, right where I thought his belly button to be. 

He bucked his hips and gasped, and I was the one in a fit of giggles now. 

The whole world rolled, but my stomach didn't this time. 

Which was a blessing, but still I frowned as I found I was suddenly on my back, beneath him.

"Feisty one, aren't you?"

Scoffing, I made to thrust him off of me, but he only wound his feet around my ankles, strong corded thighs taught against mine, and pinned my hands into the snow. 

My brows furrowed as my lips parted. 

"You were the one not paying any attention... Serves you right!"

A devilish gleam stole over his sparkling orb, and both of my wrists were in his left hand a half a moment before ice cold fingertips slid under my own vest and shirt. 

It wasn't long before I couldn't breathe through the laughter. 

Tickling! What adult in their right mind resorts to fucking tickling?

I tried and tried to shake him off, but he was having none of it. 

And it wasn't until tears began to prick at the corners of my eyes that he stopped, yanked his mask down, and loomed over me. 

His eye darting over my features avidly. 

"Do you yield?"

And something about the way he said it, glowing and glittering from all of the ice and snow in his hair, his voice low and hot... the roguish smirk quirking his lips... the way our breath mixed...

For a terrifying instant, I wondered what he'd do if I said no. 

It caused me to swollow thickly, and I couldn't help but notice how his eye tracked the bob of my throat. 

Which only gave rise to a heavy flush on my cheeks as I nodded. 

"I give."

His resulting chuckle was low as he permitted me a single nod before he stood... Picking me up along the way. 

Gentle hands brushed through my hair and clothes, cleaning me as best they could. 

Though it was no use. 

We were both wearing white from head to toe. 

I didn't dare say it.

Because he'd have stopped trying. 

"Let's get home, shall we?"

I couldn't help the way my face lit up. 

He'd said _home_... not 'to your house', or 'get you home'... he'd said it like it was his home, too. 

The mere thought of which made my gut all warm and fuzzy, even while covered in ice and snow. 

"Yeah... let's go home."

He gave me one more little flash of a smile before he pulled his mask back up, and I almost pouted. 

But a warm palm took one of mine and gently coaxed me forward. 

Suddenly I had no reason to do anything but flush once again. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

We'd showered and he'd made tea... but I was still freezing, even with the heat working properly this evening. 

I'd finished the cup quickly, and practically ran to my bed, shivering something fierce. 

He'd followed, at a slower pace, but settled next to me on the edge of the bed, and tucked the blankets up around me. 

"More tea?"

Sincere concern for me was made plain in just those two little words of his. 

It was a wonder, really, how he could say so much in so few syllables. 

I shook my head, though, because I never drank tea in bed. And I couldn't picture trying now, shaking and unsteady as I was. 

His mask was gone, and had been since he'd bathed... he'd put on an eyepatch, instead of his Hitai-ate as well. So I could see the bulk of his face again. 

And I still couldn't get used to it. 

It was like being punched in the gut, every time he showed himself to me.

So unguarded... so open.

I knew I was staring, but I couldn't bring myself to stop. 

And he never said a word about it. 

His next syllables were simply more concern for me, instead. 

"You should rest now... You'll warm up soon."

That said, he shifted... made to stand, and I'd reached out as soon as I'd realized it. 

I didn't want him to go. 

I didn't want him out there on my couch. 

He didn't belong there anymore. 

But I couldn't figure out how to portray that. 

"I'm cold..."

I'd used the only excuse I could find... though I knew it was incredibly thin.

But I didn't care because it made him stop.

It made him look back. 

Pale knuckles floated slowly over my cheekbone, as a dreadfully serious look rolled over his features.

"Are you sure?"

And I wasn't really clear on why he'd ask that... it didn't track at all with my previo-...

Oh.

_Oh_.

Was I sure that I knew what I was asking?

Was I sure that I wanted him that close?

Was I sober enough to be able to decide?

All of that and more hidden within the small words. 

He really was a wonder. 

"Stay... please?"

We were both caught motionless like that for a long aching moment, and I could do nothing but hold my breath and wait. 

A small nod from him finally broke through the vacuum of tension that had appeared, and had me releasing his sleeve, as well as the air trapped within my lungs. A shift, weight redistributing, and he was crawling in beside me. 

The resulting relief I felt was boundless.

"As you wish."

Right up until the now familiar phrase registered. 

Because he says it like he's received an order again, and I don't know why, but the idea hurt me... deeply. 

"If-if you don't want to-..."

He'd just pulled the blankets over himself when my small, stilted words reached him, and his whole body turned towards me. 

"Iruka... do you not remember?"

My eyes shifted down and away, under the guise of getting more comfortable... but really, his stare was so intent that I feared what it might do to me. 

"Remember what?"

Movement as he shifted again, one of his legs brushing mine under the covers. 

"The oath I made to you... do you not remember it?"

More warmth against my cheek, and the gentleness of his words had my eyes rising to meet his singular gaze once more. 

"I-I, yes. I remember..."

A small smile blossomed onto his lips. 

So very pretty...

"And?"

I tried to look away, but careful fingers cupped my chin, to keep my gaze locked with his. 

"You'll be the shadow at my heels. Mine until there is no heartbeat in your chest or air in your lungs..."

He nodded, but still seemed to be waiting, so I finished the thought.

"But even then, it'll still be true."

He nodded once more, but his expression showed a tinge of something. 

"That's not everything, not quite. What I vowed was this... I'll be the shadow at your heels, always. As near as you'll allow. Yours until there is no heartbeat in my chest, nor air in my lungs. But even then... it'll still be true. I simply won't be here to prove it to you."

I furrowed my brows, confusion flitting through my mind as well as my features. 

Isn't that what I'd said?

A small chuckle graced his throat and slipped out into the air as his fingers left my chin to trail down my cheekbone. 

"As near as you'll allow."

Oh... but...

"But you... you don't mind?"

And this time he let me duck my eyes away... that now free hand of his began sweeping damp strands of hair behind my ear. 

"I'm not the one who must be sure. I will get as close as you'll let me. I'll gladly entwine myself as tightly to you and your life as you're comfortable with. But it's up to you to set that standard."

The words just didn't make any sense to me... and they sounded terribly one sided, in my favor. 

My mind traveled back to the last anniversary, so many weeks ago now... when he'd called himself a weapon. 

"But why? Your feelings matter, too. I don't want you to feel like a tool in this. You're more than a kunai to be picked up and used at my leisure... Or anyone else's for that matter."

Another shift of the mattress, and then an arm wrapped around my waist... an unabashed strength pulled me close, slid me into a calming embrace, but not in an aggressive way. 

It was still markedly gentle. 

"This and that are very different things. But I'm not sure how I can prove it to you. Perhaps I'll be the one to push and pull... and you can tell me when I push too far?"

I should've been uncomfortable at such closeness, at the way his arms encircled me... at the way his nose nestled into my hair. 

But I wasn't. 

Instead I clung to him, as well. Shifting around until our limbs were tangled, and my fingers clutched at his shirt, keeping him near. 

Still, nothing about the situation seemed very clear. 

"What does that even mean?"

A warm palm cupped the back of my neck in a gesture that felt ridiculously loving. 

I almost let myself believe that it genuinely was. 

"It means things like this... is this alright?"

I smiled and pushed closer, moving an arm tentatively around his torso, while ducking my face into the hollow below his throat... 

Speaking directly against warm pale skin. 

"This is... I like this. Very much."

I felt his whole body sink further into the mattress as he relaxed at my words, and it bothered me that he'd ever been tense in the first place. 

"I've never felt so close to anyone, before... and I'm not complaining but..."

I trailed off, unsure if I was afraid of asking, or afraid of the answer. 

"But?"

His small request for me to finish my sentence drove me forward. Because he seemed to genuinely care about my thoughts.

Like he really wanted to know. 

"Why do you keep doing these things for me? Why did you even agree to this in the first place? It's getting hard to... it's just all getting so blurry."

A hand smoothed down my back, in a calming and soothing sort of way. 

"Is it so wrong for me to want to? Do you dislike it?"

That soft voice of his was fast becoming a weakness... one I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to win against. 

"That's not a real answer... But no, it's not. And no, I don't."

He drew the blankets up a little higher around us. 

"And are you warm now?"

I sighed. My heart clenching a little. 

"Warmer than I can ever remember feeling."

It was true, but I wasn't talking about the blankets or body heat. 

That distinction, if he was aware of it, didn't seem to matter much to him, though. 

"Good."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

And so, just like with the toothbrush, and his cactus, and the couch... he just naturally spent every night in my room afterwards. 

A picture of team seven appeared on the nightstand at his side of the bed. 

As did a few of those smutty orange books. 

But the sight of them didn't seem to bother me at all. 

We didn't necessarily go to bed at the same time, and I didn't necessarily wake up beside him every day, but he always slept beside me. 

Apart from when he took extended missions, of course. 

That was currently the very worst part. 

I was growing too reliant on him, and his presence.

The nights he was gone were lonely and cold. And if I managed to sleep at all, it was only in small spurts, and it was never fitful. 

I could no longer truly rest without him. 

Which was kind of ridiculous, and also highly inconvenient. 

Particularly since the mission he's now away on had been the longest yet, since we'd started whatever this is. 

Today's made the seventeenth day that he's been gone. 

And it's been _torture_. 

Every day I find myself looking for him, for his presence. I'll glance around for him in the mission room, or in the trees outside of my classroom. 

I'll find some book or anecdote funny, or interesting, and turn to tell him... but he's just not there. 

It was... startling, the realization of how used to him I'd become. 

The dreams of him... of us... they weren't helping, either. 

Whenever I did manage to pass out without him near, however briefly, my libido had decided to present me with an entirely new set of problems.

Because apparently, I didn't have enough already. 

Dreams of his body pressing mine down into the mattress... Of kissing me everywhere... Of proclaiming feelings and desires with words and touches alike...

I'd wake up hard, and sweating, on the very cusp of orgasm, with no choice but to take myself in hand. 

And then, of course, I'd have to clean up. 

Yet another reason my nights became so sleepless. 

But today... today, I'm really worried, as I settle down for sleep. 

And not over ridiculous dreams that I really should've outgrown during adolescence. 

He's been gone too long. 

Four days longer than he'd intimated. 

As expected, he couldn't tell me the mission... given that it was classified, but he'd given me an estimate before he'd left. 

And it makes me terribly afraid to think of how much extra time has already passed. 

Of all of the reasons why he hadn't come back home yet. 

Maybe, this time... he simply couldn't.

I shook my head of such terrible thoughts and snuggled down into his pillow. 

It still smelled like him, though only faintly. 

There was no need to really worry until there was news. 

I shut my eyes and did my best to fall into a restless sleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was _hot_. 

So very hot...

I was panting against soft skin. My lips and tongue seeking out its taste. 

Making noises deep in the back of my throat. 

My hips were thrusting against _something_... the friction shooting electric tingles of pleasure up and down my spine. 

I was so _hard_. 

The body next to me, I _knew_ it. I'd know his scent anywhere. And that only fueled the heat building between my legs and pulsing through my veins. 

_Kashi... Kakashi... so good._

_"Mmm... is it?"_

His voice sent a shiver through me, deep and husky... almost a growl. 

Filled with something _oh so_ _close_ to arousal. 

I liked it so very much. 

_Yes... more... I want more..._

_"So take it..."_

_Can't... you're not close enough. I need..._

My whole body rolled like a wave, trying desperately to get to him... to get more of him. 

_"It's yours, whatever you need. Come on Iruka... It's okay."_

_Uhnnn... I'm so... It's not. I need..._

_I want..._

_"You have it... anything. Just take it from me."_

My hips pushed harder, my muscles aching, burning... but it wasn't... I was so close...

_Please, Kakashi... please..._

_"Tell me what you need..."_

_You... I need you... just, please... I can't..._

_"Are you sure?"_

_Yes!_

Strong arms curled around my sides, bringing me roughly against a hard body, something thrusting back against me in a much smoother slide. Tantalizingly slow, but gods was it good. 

_Yeah, gods yeah... more..._

Harder thrusts, shorter slides... my skin was on fire...

_"Do you like this? Or maybe harder? Faster? How do you want it?"_

_Anything... Just... don't stop... please... Kashi... Kakashi!_

_"Love the way you say my name..."_

Faster now, and somehow deeper? My hands struggled to pull him even closer, my lips, teeth, and tongue following the curve of his neck, teasing the pulse there... tasting the salt as sweat began to dot his skin. 

_"Mmm... Love the way you cling to me..."_

My cock was throbbing at his words, his touch. But I loved so much more than just this...

_Love your hands... Love your laugh... Miss you... Fuck. Need you here... Love you, please... Kakashi..._

Something twisted me, moved me onto my back. And then that delicious sliding and thrusting was back... a rough, sexy voice in my ear... hot breaths against my cheek. Something clutched at one of my hands, something else grabbed my ass and then pulled me up against that hard body. 

Over and over again. 

_"Say it again, Iruka... one more time... just once more, please..."_

I was moaning so loudly... but he only seemed to try and get closer anyway. Slipping fully between my thighs. His voice desperate. So too, was my need. My legs were caught around something so I couldn't wrap them around him, but I pushed up, pushed back as best I could... so close to orgasm that my toes began to tingle. 

_Love you... don't stop, please Kakashi... I-I love you..._

_"You gonna do it, Iruka? Gonna come for me? Gonna let me watch you? Gonna let me make you come?"_

_Yeah... yeah... gonna... gonna co-Ooh.... Kakashi c-come... please... I'm c-coming!_

Fingers entwined with mine, gripping hard... my back bowed as he rocked against me roughly... my free hand scrambling up into his hair. Each roll of his hips pushing me higher and higher... 

Until the pleasure and the pressure and the heat and the tingles reached an explosive crescendo. Both his and mine... our movements becoming stilted yet feverish, the liquid heat pouring from me in waves, hindered by some sort of fabric... which kind of annoyed me... I'd wanted to feel his release, too. 

Though I could feel his length twitching and pulsing. It was almost enough. 

Gentle fingers stroked my cheekbone, and I couldn't help but lean into the touch. 

_"I love you too..."_

And then the dream ended, just fading into a peaceful, sated blackness. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I awoke with a start, and turned... hopeful that he'd been here. That he'd come home. But his side of the bed was cold. 

With a sigh I stretched... and made a face at the crusty feeling in my boxers as they chafed against my skin. 

_Gross_. 

Still half asleep, I stumbled into the shower, grabbing fresh underwear and pajama pants along the way. 

I didn't have to be up...

Today was a full day off. 

But I definitely needed a good cleaning. 

So I started the shower and wondered what the hell I was going to do about these dreams. 

He'd be back soon, hopefully... and I really didn't need them happening while we shared a bed. Heavens knew how I'd handle _that_ awkwardness on top of everything else. 

This certainly wasn't a trouble I'd ever had to worry about before... and it wasn't really something I could ask another person about. 

That'd just raise a whole pile of questions that even I don't have any answers to. 

Like, why we were sharing a bed in the first place?

Why would he let me snuggle up to him every night?

Why would he make me breakfast in the morning, or pull me closer just so he could run his knuckles across my cheek?

I know how _I_ feel about it. 

I know how I feel about _him_. 

I don't know anything about what he might be feeling. 

Even though I've tried asking. 

In several different ways. 

But he never gives me a straight answer. 

I sighed and turned off the tap. 

Dressing languidly after drying off as best I could. 

When I opened the bathroom door, my tired senses started playing tricks on me... For I could swear I smelled the aroma of my favorite tea... And hear the sounds of a pan sizzling in the kitchen. 

The dirty towel, boxers, and pajama bottoms I'd held in my hands were thrown haphazardly into the hamper just outside the door. 

My feet and my mind were far more concerned with the noises coming from the other room. 

With the all too familiar Chakra that could only belong to one person. 

_Please_ don't let it be my imagination. 

And there he was, plating some eggs as he shut the stove off, whistling some unknown tune to himself. 

Deftly, he moved the pan to the back burner and shuffled around, carrying our breakfast over to the tiny dinette set. 

His mask was nowhere to be found. He wore his usual black sweatpants and an undershirt of the same color, though it was slightly more faded. 

My heart was fluttering excitedly against my ribs. 

And then he noticed me standing there, with my jaw essentially on the floor, and smiled ever so brightly... eye curling up in the adorable way that it does. And my heart was just full to bursting. 

I crossed the small space between us in a flash, and wrapped my arms around him without thinking. 

"I'm home..." 

Those two softly spoken words only made me clutch him even tighter. Strong, secure arms drifted around my shoulders, squeezing me back just as tightly. 

But I couldn't speak until I could hear his heartbeat... until I knew this wasn't some fucked up dream. 

So I pressed my ear to his sternum, closing my eyes to better focus on its steady rhythm. 

"Welcome back... I've-... You were gone so long. I was _worried_."

Careful fingers slid up the length of my spine, to cup the back of my neck, fingertips playing with my hair and rubbing the skin there comfortingly. 

"Sorry for that... it took a bit longer than anticipated."

I frowned at the easy way he spoke, my eyes growing suspicious. 

Regretfully, I tugged away from his embrace. I _had_ to look him over. 

"Are you hurt? Injured? I swear to all the gods above, that if you're standing here cooking me breakfast when you should be checking in with a medi-nin..."

His left hand pulled away from me and lifted the soft fabric of his undershirt, exposing a fading bruise on his left side, effectively cutting off my rant. 

My eyes flicked towards the rest of his abs after deeming the bruise mostly healed already. And it shamed me greatly that I'd take the opportunity to do so in the first place. But I simply couldn't stop myself. 

"I'm no worse for wear. That's the only one this time... and no, I'm not Chakra depleted. Though my levels are a little lower than usual. But that's my own fault."

I moved my gaze back up to meet his, as he pulled the tank top back down. 

"What does that mean?"

A chuckle, light and carefree, drifted passed his lips... just as two knuckles began to slide across my cheek. 

"I used a little more than necessary, running home. I was... impatient."

My frown deepened. Even as my heart fluttered, pleased. 

"Then what exactly do you think you're doing? Sit down! Rest!"

Another chuckle, but this one held an edge of some sort, as he backed me against the counter... crowded into my space. 

One of his strong thighs pushed its way between mine, and my cheeks were suddenly hot. 

As was the rest of me. 

A hand coming around my waist again, and another gently lifting my chin had my breath stuttering, as he leaned forward and carefully pressed our bare foreheads together. 

A small sigh, and then he was pulling back to stare straight through me, his gaze sharp... intent. 

"As you wish."

And the way he said it was different this time, yet again. 

It was more like a promise. A promise of what? I couldn't rightly say... But it was laced with something heady... something seductive. 

And my body was _reacting_. 

My gut was warm, my hips ached to push forward...

Heavens help me, but I'd almost leaned up to kiss him. 

My only saving grace was that he'd backed off and away before I'd had the chance to follow through. 

Still, the heavy blush on my cheeks refused to subside, even as we sat down to eat. 

Because suddenly every move he makes is somehow _erotic_. 

From the way he sips his tea, perfect pout curling around the edge of the cup, tongue peaking out to lick away a stray droplet from his lips...

To the way he eats, lips and tongue wrapping around his chopsticks in a manner that surely would bring anyone to their knees...

I couldn't focus. 

Couldn't concentrate. 

"You shouldn't look at me like that... it's making me want to do things. Things that it's far too early in the day to be thinking about doing..."

I blinked, his words not fully registering until a moment after I'd self consciously looked down to my empty plate. 

"W-what?"

The plate moved, was pulled away and I looked up in time to watch him set our dishes in the sink. 

When he turned back to me, concern laced his brows, arms crossingover his chest as he thoroughly took in my appearance. 

"Why do you have such dark circles under your eyes?"

It didn't escape my notice that he'd failed to answer me, and instead presented a question of his own. 

But, of the two possible topics, this one seemed safer somehow. 

"I... It was difficult to sleep. I haven't been able to get much rest... not since..."

I trailed off... quite embarrassed now. I didn't want to admit that I'd reacted like a child... that I hadn't been able to sleep since he'd-...

"Not since?"

Crouched beside me now, his voice was just so very gentle, as was the hand he'd rested upon my knee. 

It made it impossible not to answer him. 

"Not since you left."

A small hum met my ears, and when I looked back to him, his expression now was... so very soft. 

He reached his other hand for me, thumb tracing a line just under my right eye.

"I can relate. I haven't ever slept so well as when I sleep next to you, either."

My heart skipped a single beat... my mouth opened, though I couldn't manage to form any sort of reasonable reply. 

But he saved me the embarrassment of trying.

"It's your day off, isn't it? I'd planned to take you out for groceries and lunch, but perhaps it would be better to remain here and relax?"

I sighed a little, and nodded... the stress leaving me all at once, as it really sunk in that he's here... That he's home. My shoulders dropped in relief.

"That sounds nice."

Humming again, in that way that I've grown accustomed to, he stood and held out a hand. 

I took it, without thinking, and let him lead me back through the house... his fingers entangling with mine. 

I let him pull back the covers, and guide me back into bed... ready to reach for him if he decided to leave. 

But I hadn't needed to. He just climbed in after me and settled in. Grabbing one of his books from the nightstand, after pulling the blankets up to his waist. 

I curled close, but didn't dare do as I truly wanted. That was too much. 

Too forward. 

Yet I couldn't deny to myself, at least, how badly I wished to curl around him instead. 

I'm not sure what it was that gave me away...

Perhaps something in my demeanor, or my expression?

It mattered very little which, because the result was him lifting his left arm invitingly. 

"Come. You need to rest just as much as I do... likely, even more so."

And how on earth could I ever be able to refuse him? 

More precisely, I didn't want to. 

Breaching the small space between us had felt like trying to cross a canyon only seconds ago... but it was nothing to do it, now. 

Shamelessly, I curled a leg over his thighs and wrapped an arm securely around his middle. Sighing contentedly when I finally got comfortable. 

The part that was the most surprising was his own small sigh in return. 

Like he felt the same need for this closeness as I did. 

Like he needed me, too. 

Like he was finally back where he belongs. 

I let the illusion linger in my thoughts, as I basked in his scent, his skin, his body heat.

Cradled in his grasp, nestled in the comfort of my own blankets and sheets, everything felt surreal. Perfect. 

Some time later, I was just on the edge of wakefulness and dreaming when something slipped into my hair, caressing my scalp... And it was all I could do to shut my eyes again before the darkness took me. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sound of a page quietly turning had my eyes fluttering open. 

Our positions haven't shifted. His arm is still around me, and I am still wrapped around him. 

But his free hand didn't rest on my hip or in my hair. 

When he wasn't using it to turn a page, it traveled up to his neck... caressing his own skin, or rather, a mark there that I hadn't noticed earlier. 

"Where'd that come from?"

My voice, rough with sleep, posed the question without any real thought. 

Just simple curiosity. 

But the reaction it got gave me pause. 

He set his book down, and bodily turned within my grasp. That single dark eye narrowing upon me with all of the intensity and analytical prowess it possessed. 

"You don't remember?"

The words were bland, almost bored sounding, but his eye was still very heavy upon me. 

It was a disconcerting mix, to say the least.

And it did nothing to quell my rising confusion. 

A wall was there between us. One he'd not bothered to use around me in quite some time. 

"Remember?"

The rumble of my stomach interrupted whatever he'd been planning to say next. 

I wasn't sure if that were a good thing or not though... because I was terribly curious. 

That wall of his all but vanished as his mouth opened.

"I was going to wake you for lunch in a little while anyway... perhaps now would be a good time to start."

Fingers, foreign, slow, and sure, wound their way up under my tee shirt. The touch was soft, but not ticklish, and had my abs bunching up in surprise as my lungs ceased to inflate. 

There was a reply I was supposed to give. 

He was waiting. 

But his palm, his gaze... the way he shifted even closer, it was difficult to think. 

So I focused as hard as I could on what he'd actually said. And not the way he seemed to be sensuously caressing my skin. 

"Y-yeah... lunch."

A nod, and then he was pulling back, away. Out of my grasp. 

I felt terribly bereft. 

But I ignored that, and made to follow him out. 

He'd begun taking out vegetables and meat, seemingly preparing to make stir fry, when he stopped to survey what we had to work with. 

A hand traveled up to that mark again, and before I knew what I was doing... I stepped closer, and reached out to do the same. 

His whole body went stiff. 

"What don't I remember?"

I was insanely curious. 

He'd been gone too long, and the mark was too fresh. 

I didn't understand his words, or even the situation, at all. 

He rounded on me, backed me against the counter and pushed everything on it aside. 

The next thing I knew, he was lifting me onto it, and staring at me with that intensity once again. 

His waist pushing it's way between my knees. 

"You shouldn't toy with me, Iruka. It's not nice."

I couldn't help feeling lost. 

With no idea what to say. 

My mouth opened, but no words would come. 

After a long moment, his palm covered mine, and guided it up... to trace the small bruise again. 

"This is a treasured memento. Given to me upon my return. Along with words that filled me with an immense joy. It's not nice to take that all away from me with such an excuse."

His face looked pained. Truly. 

And I was adrift in a sea of maddening confusion. As well as a need to stop that pain somehow. 

"Take it away?"

He sighed, and it sounded so very hurt. 

But he squared his shoulders, and put his palms flat on the counter, bracketing my hips. 

Locking me in place. 

"You gave it to me... but perhaps you were so sleep deprived that you'd merely been delirious. If that's the case... there's nothing to be done about it."

I felt my eyes go wide, as a flash of the dream I'd had in the night pushed to the forefront of my thoughts. 

Oh. 

_Oh_. 

"If you didn't mean it... I'll understand. But you must tell me now."

My mouth opened and closed several times in shock. 

It wasn't a dream....

It was... Oh, _gods_...

Something about it all must have been funny to him, because he laughed a little, and tilted his head the other way, leaving the unblemished side of his neck exposed. 

"Shall I be the one to push this time?"

This time?

Oh. 

Well, I suppose I'd been the one pushing last night... if any of that dream really took place... Gods above and below!

My face must be scarlet by now. 

Honestly... who confesses in such a way?

He interrupted my inner shame with a touch to my chin, and softly spoken words. 

"If you meant what you said... if you love me... prove it again. Leave another memento here..." His hand drifted up to his own skin, running over the spot just under his right earlobe. Fingertips traveling down the curve of his neck. "To match the other. One for me to remember, and one for you..."

My throat, now bone dry, clicked harshly as I tried to swallow. But if he'd heard it, that didn't deter him. 

"But, if you didn't... then turn this away. Push me aside. Now. And I'll never push so far again. We can remain close friends, as we have been. I'll stay... no matter the outcome."

My hands were on his shoulders before he'd even finished. 

He'd stiffened again, possibly ready for me to push him back... there was no way, in any world, that I could ever do that, though. 

This man... the only one who'd sat silently by my side. Who'd listened to my pain. 

Who'd echoed it back in understanding. 

He'd taken care of me. 

Made me feel cherished. 

And he has no confidence in himself, now?

No. 

That won't stand at all. 

I clutched at him, yanked him close, and sealed my lips around the tender flesh of his neck. 

Nipped it, soothed it again, and laved at it tenderly. 

His hips, no, his whole body pressed forwards. Closer. 

Hard. 

Pretty pink lips that I couldn't see let out a positively sinful moan, and I shifted forwards... wrapped my legs around him. 

Pulled him in. 

Arms, both confident and possessive, came around me... ground our bodies together. 

The friction, and the feel of his clear desire pressing against the cradle of my hips had me pulling off of his skin with a heavily pleased gasp. 

Full, careful lips pressed against my chin, my cheek... even as his whole body rammed against mine. 

They were tentative. Seeking. 

The dichotomy of it all had me trembling a bit. 

My hands moved to his hair, guided him away from my cheek, as I slowly, carefully, brushed my lips against his. Just once. 

Another moan from him parted those beautiful lips of his, like an invitation. 

And I wasn't about to keep him waiting. 

I lapped at his bottom lip, tracing it with my tongue, and groaned into his mouth when his own tongue brushed ever so timidly against mine. 

I drove forward, intent on drowning in everything that he was. 

My eagerness seemed to spur him on, his arms lifting me up of the counter. 

Something clattering against the floor registered in the back of my mind, but nothing was pulling me away from this moment. 

Whatever else happened outside of this could wait. 

It seemed, however, that waiting wasn't currently in Kakashi's vocabulary.

My back pressed down into wood, along with the rest of me, and he'd followed... his whole body covering mine.

Hands searching, hips working ceaselessly. Want and desire, heavily pressed against me with every place that our bodies touched... with the exception of his mouth. 

His kisses were filled with longing.

They spoke of something deep, some heavy emotion... pouring into me alongside his sweet appreciative moans. 

Affection, heavy and true... and raw physical lust... he was a mass of so many things all at once. 

But it wasn't overwhelming. 

It was captivating. 

I arched my back, using my legs around his waist to gain enough leverage to meet his rolling hips. 

There was so much I wanted to say. 

So many emotions and assurances that I wanted to convey. 

But talking would come later. 

My body, my touches, and my actions would have to suffice until then. 

I pulled at his tank top. Trying desperately to remove it, to reach more of his skin. 

But he refused to pull back from my lips. 

His tongue rolling against mine so posessively, so sensuously, that it had my toes curling. 

The sound of ripping, of cloth shredding hit my ears, right before that infuriating fabric disappeared. 

More of the same curious sound followed, and then my torso was bare. 

I rocked hard against him, groaning in appreciation... my hands couldn't touch enough of him, my mouth couldn't taste enough...

He was the one to reach between our hips first. The sauna that was his mouth, teeth and tongue, working furiously against my neck. 

I cried out his name as he palmed me, I'm not sure when or even how I'd gotten naked. But I certainly wasn't complaining. 

The angle was awkward for him, it must've been... but he didn't complain. He just worked sure fingers around my cock, spreading the liquid evidence of my desire over my shaft, groaning every time I moaned or twitched or sighed for him. 

I tried to tell him to wait... that it was already too much... but his grip only intensified, his hips and hand and tongue only driving me higher. 

The texture of his hair under my fingertips, the feel of his skin, the warmth of his breath as his tongue sought mine... all of this and more ripped my orgasm from me so suddenly that I nearly screamed. 

A pleased growl reverberated around the room, echoed off the kitchen tile...

I blinked my eyes open as his chest lifted away from mine. 

He stood over me, milking my pleasure, watching me tremble... with both eyes. 

Here he seemed to be smug, but on edge at the same time... my eyes followed the line of his abs down. 

He was still so aroused. 

His shoulders and chest were flushed with it, too. 

But he seemed content to watch me, sprawled out on the table, covered in my own fluids, panting for him. 

I had only two words for him. 

Because it was still too difficult the breathe. 

"Bedroom. Now."

His sharingan whirled. His other eye seemed to fog over. 

Desire. Want. Need. 

He only nodded. 

Which was fine. I'd make him vocalize for me soon enough. 

Turn about was fair play, after all. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"For months. Probably longer, really. But that's when I realised."

He hummed contentedly, nimble fingers stroking through my hair, our limbs comfortably entwined. 

"And you?"

I tried to catch his eye as I asked, but he looked away... it was the first time I'd ever witnessed any form of shyness from him.

It was so very endearing. 

His answer, when it came, was short. 

But that was typical of him anyway. 

"A little longer than that."

I nodded, sighing contentedly. 

There was no need to push him any further on it. 

He'd tell me eventually. 

When he was ready. 

And there was plenty of time for that. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hadn't seen him in twelve days. 

It was the longest we'd been apart since that mission seven months ago.

The one he'd returned from right before we'd become physically entangled. 

So I couldn't help that I ripped his mask down and devoured his lips the second I realised he was here, in our genkan. I pressed him into the wall, uncaring that he still wore his sandals. 

He tried to escape me, to pull away. The result was that my lips chased his all the way into the kitchen. 

I figured it likely had to do with the door still being wide open, and him wanting privacy for this, so I didn't much mind it. 

And when I had his back against the refrigerator, I'd assumed I was right...

Because he moaned, his arms encircling me, pulling me tightly against his oh-so-heavenly frame... but he tried to pull away from my lips yet again anyway, and I wasn't having it. 

I needed to taste him, to feel him. 

He tried to speak, but my tongue cut him off, quite effectively... and soon any protest he might've tried to make died in his throat. 

Instead, he guided us blindly to the nearest chair, and pulled me down onto his lap. 

Gods above, but I'd missed him. 

Missed his hands. 

His lips. 

His smile. 

I rocked harshly against him, grinding our hips together, but his palms stopped me mid motion... 

I did _not_ whine.... but I concede that the sound that left my throat might've sounded, to the untrained ear, like one. 

A throat clearing politely behind us made me jump. 

Shock had me pulling back, and turning. 

Mortification, strong and deep, filled me all the way down to my toes. 

"Naruto!"

This was not the way I expected to welcome him back home. 

For his part, he was leaning against the wall at the threshold of the kitchen, arms crossed over his chest, looking for all the world like he wasn't shocked out of his wits.

Which didn't fit with the current situation at _all_. 

He also looked more like a man, rather then the boy I'd last seen him to be. 

"I-uh... I tried to tell you..."

Those stilted words made Kakashi's earlier protests much more understandable now, and my face was probably as red as the apples on the counter, as I turned back to face the man I adored. 

I'm not sure when Kakashi had pulled his mask up, but it was back in place now, and his cheeks... what little I could see of them, seemed to be just as red as mine. 

At least I wasn't the only one embarrassed, then. 

"Kakashi-sensei finally said something, huh? I was wondering how many more years he planned on waiting..."

I frowned, and cleared my throat awkwardly, as I moved to extricate myself from our embrace. 

"What?"

Naruto merely shrugged, and my silver haired beauty only moved his eye down and away, shifting to lift his right leg... Letting his right ankle rest on his left knee, in an attempt to surreptitiously hide his arousal. 

I kept my back to Naruto as I moved to sit in the other chair, to preserve some decorum as well. 

"W-what are you talking about?"

The blond teenager moved farther into the room, grabbed an apple with one hand, and clapped my beloved on the shoulder with the other. 

"That's for him to answer. I think I'm gonna go find Sakura-chan... but I'll be back later. Definitely in time for dinner."

His smile was wide, and disconcertingly _knowing_.

I wasn't a fan. 

It seemed that training with Jiraiya had held other consequences for him besides learning new Jutsu.

"Ramen?"

The singular word from me, spoken to him a hundred times before, still held the same effect on him that it always did. 

He whooped in excitement, and for the briefest moment, I saw the child he'd been, once more. 

"That's a promise! No take-backs!"

I laughed, and nodded, but he was already out the door. 

My eyes drifted back to Kakashi, as the front door thudded closed. 

"Years?"

My voice came out sounding so incredulous that I didn't recognize it at all. 

"I got lost on the road of life... there was this old woman, you see. And..."

I'd gotten up and settled back into his lap...

Cutting off his ridiculously lame excuse before he could really get going.

He moved his leg easily, to accommodate me. 

"Explain."

Hands, warm and comforting, settled back onto my hips as he ducked his head. 

"Six years... No. Almost seven years ago... I saw a man crying on top of the Hokage monument, on the anniversary of the Kyuubi attack. He didn't speak a word outloud. His sobs only pausing when he lifted a bottle to his lips." 

He paused briefly, lifting his eye, and a hand, to brush gentle knuckles across my cheek. 

"But he was ethereal... soaked to the bone in the rain, uncaring if anyone happened upon him. He didn't pretend, or try to hide his anguish away. Just sat there, staring out over the village, letting his pain be washed away by the tears the sky shed along with him. He looked as broken as I felt inside. And he was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen. I have loved him every day ever since."

Almost seven years... but that's... 

What?

"That's two years longer than you'd been-"

His thumb traced my bottom lip, and something like embarrassment filled his gaze. 

"It took me two years of witnessing it before I could gather up the courage to simply sit beside you... but I didn't want you to suffer alone anymore. That resolution was what drove me forward."

My palms reached for him, and pulled that infuriating mask down once more. 

I needed to see his face.

He let me, pulling my body closer in return. 

His expression... Which was as open and sincere as I'd ever seen it, held me captive for a moment. 

"And how does Naruto know any of that, when I didn't?"

His hips shifted, getting more comfortable. Or perhaps he was trying to hide his discomfort? 

I wasn't sure which. 

"To my knowledge, he doesn't. When he became my pupil, I might have asked him a few questions about you whenever he brought up your name. It seems I was more obvious about my interest in you than I'd thought. He's never said anything before, though."

I sighed fondly, stroking his cheek. 

"I see." 

And I said nothing more, for a moment. 

Just started at him, like it was the first time I'd ever seen his face. 

A pretty blush bloomed on his cheeks, and spread down to his neck under my scrutiny. 

"I love you too, you know?"

He nodded once, a small gentle happy quirk of his lips pulling at my heartstrings. 

"I do. And I've missed you terribly."

And I leaned forward, so that he could show me exactly how much. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Naruto sat back, happily rubbing his full belly, glancing from Kakashi to me, and back again. 

"So, how long has it been?"

He didn't need to elaborate. I knew perfectly well what he was asking. 

Glancing around at the empty seats surrounding us, I deemed it safe enough to answer.

"Nearly a year now."

Naruto's gaze fell to Kakashi with a grin. 

"So it took you at least three. I knew you were lazy, but that's _really_ pushing it."

Even with his mask on I could tell that he was frowning, his visible eye narrowing in contemplation, before he replied. 

"It took me five, actually. If we're being completely accurate. Why do you say three?"

My favorite pupil's eyebrows shot up so high they almost reached his hairline. 

"Wow... that's waaaaay too long, Kakashi-sensei." 

He shifted, throwing an elbow up onto the counter, and leaning his chin onto his palm. 

"I saw you. Four years ago, on my birthday. I went to the monument to think. I always go there when I've got something important to figure out... and anyway, I saw you both. I think you were sleeping, Iruka-sensei. But you, Kakashi-sensei... you let him rest his head on your shoulder. And you touched his cheek. And then you said it. That you loved him, I mean." 

My face grew hot, but I dropped a hand under the counter, found warm pale fingers, and entwined them with my own. 

"I thought that was nice. And I was happy that Iruka-sensei had someone. But after a while, I realised that you two didn't seem to be together. You never hung out, or anything. And he only ever yelled at you." 

He paused for a moment, as if contemplating something, then chuckled... scratching at the back of his head the way he'd been doing his whole life. 

"Plus you started asking me weird questions a while after that. I figured it was best to leave it alone, though. I also wasn't sure if you deserved Iruka-sensei or not. So I wasn't going to help. Haha!"

The warm palm in mine squeezed gently, as the voice of its owner filled the air. 

"I'm still not sure, either."

The world's most unpredictable ninja just beamed at us both. 

"That answer is exactly why you actually might, though. And it should go without saying... but I'll say it anyway. Don't you dare break his heart. Or I'll have to break your face. Got it?"

Clear and determined blue eyes locked onto a deep and confident raven orb. 

There was a small moment that lingered between them, which was broken when the older man beside me bowed his head. 

With all the seriousness I'd ever seen from him, he set his shoulders, sat up straight, and spoke earnestly... His tone akin to accepting an order from the Hokage. 

"I can't promise I won't ever hurt his heart. But I can promise that it will never be intentional. I'll treat it, and him, with great care. For as long as he'll have me."

That seemed to mollify Naruto, but it had my heart melting. 

"I'll leave his happiness to you then."

I arched a brow and looked between them, amused and frustrated at the whole scene. 

"I'm literally sitting right here, you know?"

Kakashi at least had the decency to look sheepish for a moment, before his free hand came up and caressed my cheek in his usual way. 

"It's important to prove myself to your family. Otherwise I can't possibly hope to join it."

It wasn't an apology, because he wasn't sorry. It was merely an explanation. 

I sighed, sounding very put upon... but really, I couldn't be happier. 

The next time we were alone, I was going to kiss him into delirium. 

"So did you end up figuring out whatever it was that brought you up there, that night?"

The question, from my pale companion, was directed to the teen at my other side. 

"Oh, yeah. I did. Not that night, but eventually. Yes. Apparently I'm just as lazy as you Kakashi-sensei... I've waited way too long, too."

I didn't quite follow. But kakashi seemed to understand, and nodded once. His eye softening in that serene sort of way it sometimes did. 

"I hope you're as fortunate as I was. The road of life is long. And it's easy to get lost as it twists and turns. But it's better when you're not alone. Getting lost with Iruka at my side has been the best part of my journey, so far. Perhaps Sasuke knows already, and is at the next fork, waiting for you."

I dropped my chopsticks. 

Finally catching on. 

It was Naruto's turn to blush now. 

But the smile he gave us both wasn't embarrassed, it was hopeful. 

"Maybe. The bastard probably figured it all out years ago anyway. I'm the slow one."

My occupied palm was squeezed gently, as the man I'd come to adore sighed fondly. 

"You and Iruka are a lot more alike than either of you realise. As are Sasuke and I. Take heart in that. He's only lost and confused. You simply need to do for him what Iruka has done for me. Take his hand, follow the right path. Guide him home."

Naruto's resulting smile was blinding. 

I had no doubt that if anyone could do it, it'd be him. 

~~~~~~Owari~~~~~~

**Author's Note:**

> My lovelies, thank you for reading!
> 
> So, it's not as sexual as some of my other works...
> 
> Because this was more emotional.
> 
> Not to say that this universe won't be explored further, later on. 
> 
> For now, though... I wanted to focus on the hurt, the healing, and the growing love and attraction between them. 
> 
> As well as the idea that none of us are as alone as we might fear. 
> 
> Let me know what you all think!
> 
> If you liked it, you'd honor me with leaving a kudos and perhaps a kind word or two. 
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> ~ The Lab Rat


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